Bringing everything into focus

So remember yesterday when Igave then analogies of driving home after quitting your job. You had a focus or purpose; it was to go home to your family. So what is the purpose of Starting you own business.

Ok Now answer this >>>>>> is it a goal or desire to have your own business. What is the difference?

A goal is something you can accomplish on your own. You make the effort, plans and decisions to see the final result.

A desire is the end result with the help of others in conjunction with your goal.

Example: a marriage. Many people when they get married have a goal to have a long lasting marriage. Can you do this by your self?  NO! you need the help of your spouse. However being a good wife or husband is a goal. You have control of that part of the marriage which in turn gets you to the desire.

PUT YOUR IDEAS GOALS AND DESIRES INTO FOCUS,

( before you begin to work on your business plan)

What is your desire?

What Is your Goals?

Where do you want to be in 1 year?

5 years and 10 years?

Take some time to really think this thru. Take it from me I did this all backwards and recreating your business focus after 10 years is a real pain in the a@#.

My desire is to have a successful business consulting firm, specializing in QuickBooks reorganization /forensic research, and accounting back office procedures.

My goal is to secure the education needed. Getting my Enrolled agent license and business certifications to achieve the above desire.

WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL PURPOSE

As with your personal life your business life has 8 areas in which success is determined. Many people just jump into the meat of the business and forget the foundations And Foundations is the strong hold of everything. Would you step on a deck that had a pour foundation? How a bout  a relationship with no secure foundation. or go to the top of a building that you knew the foundation was week.

So if the answer is no to these questions, why would you start a business with a weak foundation:

• Intellectual
• physical
• Emotional
• Financial
• Social
• Spiritual
• Family
• Career

I bet you are saying to your self what is she talking about. I thought we are starting a business not self improvement.

Let me tell you from experience Starting and running a business is YOU……You have to figure out how ever aspect of your life will come into play with your business goals and desires.

Now take a good look at the list above. Take 8 pieces of paper and make two columns on each. Lable one personal and the other column Business.

Make a short statement for each category.

I will explain later this exercise.

Do it Trust me you will see the benefits very soon.

What am I thinking Starting my own Business!!!!!

OK Now you want to start out on your own.  You turned in your resume, handed over your keys, gotten into the car and driving down the open road.
Then it hits you what the H*$& am I doing.
Where am I going to get the capital?
How am I going to get Clients?
Where am I going to Hang my shingle?

This not going to be another how to blog. This is going to be the journey I discussed earlier. I have read countless books, Blogs and seminars to fill a the back of a pick up truck.
However after reading, highlighting and deep thought There are is a common method out lined in many of these books. Yes each book disguises them differently, plays around with the words, action but the core ideas are still there.
Over the next few days and even weeks we will discover these simple rules. So simple you can put them on a poster board and pin them to your wall to view them ever day.

I am not just another blog researcher and writer I am small business owner myself, running a consulting business out of my home.
I will share what I have learned and good and bad. As well document my success and failures.
I want you to follow along and share your thoughts as well.

We will discuss or should I document  the following

1. Planning your Strategy
2. Setting Shop
3. Time Management
4. Do I really need that
5. How do I price myself
6. Clients!!! How do I get CLIENTS
7. Bookkeeping
8. Cash Flow/Financial Management
9. Growing Is this a good thing?

A day in the Life

Day two of  trying to find my place in the business world.  The morning started out as every other morning does for  mom, wife and business owner. Up to get coffee for Husband see him off to work, get lunch for my daughter, a load of laundry in the washer, and schedule my hectic day with clients on site and all this is done before 6:00 am.

So after I get my daughter on the bus I make the 30 minute trek to a client. Mind you the 30 minutes gave me time to clear my mind but none the less all I kept thinking about was the client I am heading to ( let’s just say it is a challenging situation), the 3 clients after that one, the ones I still have to answer emails for, and 2 I have to research, on top of the marketing  and computer issues that I still have not fixed from yesterday. Needless to say it is not even 9:30 and I am already behind the 8 Ball.

Tell me again why did I start my own Business. Tell me there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and Assure me that I am not a failure because as I see it right now I will never get everything done to perfection like I want.

It is 10:33 pm as I write this. Why you ask, am I writing and not completing the list I mentioned above. Well , First of all everyone in the marketing world says blog, social network, tweet, ping and Pong. And that is to be added to my list of unfinished items.  What am I thinking.

But most importantly at the end of the Day I am A good accountant I am a good business consultant and I WILL Succeed. I just cant see it now and I want support and to share my journey with others that are in my boat so we can sink or swim together.  And If  I have it my way We will Sail away into to the sunset smiling and laughing all the way at what whiners and complainers we were on our journey to success.

Small Buiness How overwhelming

No I am not forgetting our budgeting home work. We are just at stand still. So in the mean time I am going to vent,rant and rave.  NO not at you or anything in particular just business in general.

I right now feel like such a failure. As with most small business owners,  there are times that nothing seems to go right. You try so hard to do what you set out to do in my case is accounting and organization for other small businesses and do it to the best of your ability. But business life gets in the way. Phone calls, marketing email, other projects, computer disasters, not to mentions just ever day life outside the office confines.

Well this week has come to head. despite my efforts to monopolize on the slow time of my business. I had my heart set on preparing new procedures, client protols, marketing and website updating, as well as client maintenance.

Or should I say I thought Client maintenance. In all my good intentions to make my business more client friendly I have neglected my clients, Not getting back to phone calls, emails or staying on top of projects.

I have found it very difficult to be all to everyone and still be successful. I have known others more successful than I have been here and successes and I  will too. But I my heart goes out to the clients I have made very angry to the point where I may lose some. I will keep others but not without some big concessions on my part.

How do single business owners do it. I am at a loss. I have read many books I have seen it done and now I am going to live through it. I will document my journey in hopes that may failures will help another struggling owners. I would love to have fellow owners comment and document as well.

Now Please send me strength and knowledge to rectify my pass errors and mistakes in an ethical way.